After battling with her weight her whole life, mum-of-one Krystal Gordon posted a photo of herself wearing a bikini for the first time at the age of 31.

Before Ms Gordon knew it, her photo had gone viral and she was flooded with comments and messages from all across the world.

However, some of the comments Ms Gordon received were 'malicious', she told Daily Mail Australia. 'Some people went as far as to find my private Facebook account and send me messages saying that I was disgusting.'

Rather than let the hurtful comments get to her, the mum hit back by posing for another photo - and this time she ended up being pictured in the nude.

Happiness: Ms Gordon chose to ignore the negative comments on her previous photo and bared all in a tasteful shoot to promote body positivity

Viral: Krystal Gordon (pictured), tried on a bikini for the first time in her life at age 31 - she later shared this photo on Facebook, which has been liked and commented on thousands of times

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'I thought I would receive some negative feedback but wasn’t expecting the malicious nature that some of those comments contained, it hits really deep,' Ms Gordon said of the backlash she received after posting the picture of her wearing a floral two-piece to Facebook in September last year.

Ms Gordon had battled with her weight since she was a 'plump child', leaving her riddled with body insecurities well into adulthood.

'I've carried weight all through my life and have tried every sort of diet and exercise regime going,' she previously told Daily Mail Australia.

'The real lightbulb moment when I knew I had to change, however, came when I was feeding my one-year-old son, Nate, a healthy, organic meal, while I was simultaneously eating a McDonald's.

Struggles: Ms Gordon had struggled with her body image since she was a child - with her weight going up and down throughout her life

'I had always said that I would feed him healthy, beautiful food, regardless of my body insecurities, but then something snapped in me as I looked at myself and my son.'

Ms Gordon decided to totally overhaul her attitude, joining Crossfit and focusing on her nutrition.

Having lost a lot of weight, Ms Gordon set herself a goal of buying a bikini for the first time and finding the courage to snap a picture of herself wearing it.

'After the initial "oh my goodness what have I done" feeling I just had to make the decision to either delete the photo and stop advocating self-love or use it to fuel my fire,' she said.

And she chose the latter option.

Tricky: This left the mum of one riddled with body insecurities - she had a light bulb moment after her son was born, and she decided to take up Crossfit and embrace nutrition (pictured)

Ms Gordon went on to set up an online program to support other women and encourage body acceptance.

'I had organised to do a photo shoot with friends in my program in our underwear – purely as an empowerment thing,' she went on.

'We wanted to continue to celebrate each other and other amazing women but once we felt comfortable we decided to strip back even further.'

'It was simply for ourselves, it was a magic moment and a moment in time that will never happen again.

'Surprisingly we felt quite comfortable and confident in the skin and company we were in.

'This time here has been a huge positive response. I’ve received a lot of support and women saying they wish they could be me, to which I simply say they can!'

Overhaul: Having totally changed her life, Ms Gordon decided to buy a bikini for the first time, though she didn't intend to keep it or wear it to the beach

Ms Gordon also started another group, the Wide Bay Sisters Circle which she says is 'an opportunity for women to come together and support each other in a safe environment'.

'As a society we tend to see women as bitchy and that they have to compete against each other, when really, we have to bring the sister hood together,' she said.

'The popularity shows that women want and need this.'

Self worth: She now says that while she was 'so nervous to put it up online in front of everyone on the Internet, it's totally worth the embarrassment if I can help other people'

Ms Gordon has also trained to be a life coach and runs a Facebook page Love, Nourish, Be.

'Even when I have felt resistant I knew that I needed to keep going to help promote the sister hood,' she told Daily Mail Australia.

' I just want to continue to help empower and strengthen women.'

You can read more from Krystal Gordon's wellness journey on her Facebook page here.